To obtain the best pike fishing results on Lough Derg the use of a boat and a petrol engine is a must. An echo sounder is also a good idea as it will show you the depths you are fishing at to find fish and avoid rocks.
By using a boat you will be able to cover large areas of water and find the most likely spots for pike. I would recommend exploring the numerous bays, islands and inlets with lure fishing and static dead baiting. The large areas of open water are ideal for trolling.
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| Fox Replicants |
A favourite method of mine is lure fishing. The tackle I use is a stiff action lure rod from 6 to 8 foot in length which is capable of casting lures of up to 5ozs. This should cover all the lure types on the market. For best results, a baitcasting or multiplying reel should be used loaded with a braided line. The braid should be between 60 and 80 lbs breaking strain. Power Pro is a good make and is very thin in diameter. The lures on the market today are endless but a few favourites are copper spoons in various colours and weights and soft plastic lures such as Replicants which are very effective and lifelike. They can be cast or trolled and come in many weights and colours.
Bait fishing is a popular method and the tackle needed for this is as follows. The rod should be 10 to 12 foot long with a fixed spool reel loaded with Mono line of a minimum 15 lbs breaking strain. A large sliding float with sufficient weight for static fishing and trolling is needed at least 3 oz. The terminal tackle is a wire trace 18 inches long with a breaking stain of at least 20lb and treble hooks size 4 or 2.
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| Peter with a 23+lber caught in 35 feet of water |
Pike will take any deadbait the most popular ones being mackerel, herring, pollan and roach. All of these baits can be obtained from good tackle shops or fishmongers and should be kept frozen until needed.
If you are static fishing let us say in one of the bays anchor the boat and fish your deadbait rods around the boat. Also use the lures to cover all areas.
Trolling or drifting is a very good method for covering large areas of water. You can either drift with the wind or move slowly with the electric motor. Put the deadbait rods out set at the required depth and as the boat moves the baits will follow. You can also troll lures on the boat engine.
Remember look for food fish such as roach or trout, if they are active especially in the bays Pike will not be far away. When moving into the bays be quiet so as not to spook the fish and if you do not catch within an hour or so move on so as to cover as much water as possible.
In need of a trip to Ireland to hunt down the huge Lough Derg Pike?
Why not consider self catering at Lough Derg Holiday Houses? (click here)
19 ft boats are available along with experienced guides.
